The Role of Nurses in Caring For Patients With Chronic Diseases

Abstract

Let's begin our assignment with a comprehensive account on what exactly is patient care in terms of a nurse's role. According to Dracup, Bryan-Brown, and Westlake (1994), patient care is any deliberate action which recognizes the patient's needs and which is formulated in such a way to directly meet those needs. May be the deliberate and planned management of a condition; the basis of patient-centered care is the delivery of high-quality medical care but the concern and priority regarding the patient's needs. This definition highly reflects the hands-on and proactive approach needed to care for a patient with chronic heart disease. Consideration and education are the foundations of patient-centered care based on respect and consideration for the patient's wants and needs. A nurse's role can largely lie in the teaching and examples set forth in leading a patient to a healthier way of life. In realizing a long-term management strategy, patient-centered care can be translated to nurse-centered care in the sense that often visits to a cardiac specialist may be sporadic and inconsistent. This leaves nurses as the consistent authority and advice for these patients in an outpatient setting. The global aim and nursing care for patients with ischemic heart disease is reducing complications, maximizing quality of life, and maintaining independence and functional capacity. Nurse care can effectively implement this through advice and education in secondary prevention therapy. General advice on quitting smoking, better diet, and more exercise can be transitional to more professional advice of a nurse specialized in the area. As said by Ho, Russell, and Phillips, conducted in the late 2008, "A higher level of nursing expertise has been associated with reduced mortality and readmission rates and increased quality of life for emergency and general medical patients." This noble nurse's teaching endeavor is implementing care in the patient's comfort and safety and highly upholding the global aim for CVD patient care. This aspect of care today is very valuable as the mass media of recent times has branded it as a "catch-all" for patient education, research, and health promotion. It is a large and open field with promising job opportunities as the prevention of chronic heart disease is a growing concern for public health experts. Easier access to medical services and medicine have propelled heart disease patients into longer and more comfortable lives. The benefit of this is more advocacy and care opportunities for nurses. Compensation can range from simple phone care or health consults to patient home visits and constant supervision. In some severe cases, this may transition to long-term care or hospice where a nurse provides the most support and is closest to fulfilling the patient advocate role. (Leavitt et al.2020)